Surrender…

This is a tough one. Of course, following Jesus means surrendering to Him. But it is easier said than done. Surrender means setting aside MY will to live in His will.

But there’s so many things I want to do…

How often, do you suppose, does what I want align with the mission of Jesus whom I claim to follow and claim to have made the Lord of my life?

Exactly.

Let’s reframe this notion of surrender. Mentally we know it is critical to actually following Jesus. We also know we probably aren’t very good at it. So, I would like to propose that perhaps we aren’t thinking about it in a way that is helpful to our actually doing it. I propose that we need to think about surrender in the context of grace.

Surrender is the way of grace.

Grace is God’s unmerited favor…it is each of us NOT getting what we deserve as sinners, and not getting the judgment we actually do deserve. This grace of God is the underlying foundation of our entire faith. Every blessing God bestows upon us is a grace: love, forgiveness, comfort, companionship, redemption, mercy, empowerment, guidance, strength, courage, free will, truth, provision, presence…and so much more.

Our Promised Land is accepting to live in this Land of Grace [the Kingdom of God] that God has invited us into by following Jesus who is The Way [the way to the Kingdom and the way to live in the Kingdom here and hereafter]. The invitation is for all; but God will not force us. Acceptance means surrender…surrender means living God’s Way, not our way…living God’s Way means right now in whatever moment or part of life you find yourself in…which means surrendering the option to live our own way.

The irony is that even when we don’t fully surrender our selves, God still gives us grace. Wow. Even though surrendering is absolutely what is best for us so that we can be who God created us to be, God keeps gracing us even if we only surrender a tidbit here and there, or a moment once in awhile. Yet, it is in the those morsels and moments of surrender that we experience God’s presence, spiritual clarity, and the peace that surpasses all understanding.

So, why don’t we surrender more?

Short answer: because we are sinners.

Long answer: because we struggle to give up control, we want our own way, and we fear the unknown of where God will take us when we finally do surrender.

I believe we can do better. And I believe we can help each other do better. And I believe that the Holy Spirit is always trying to guide us into doing better at surrendering.

Maybe we start small and select one thing….one area of our life to surrender. Maybe we surrender our Sunday to God by surrendering to the Sabbath. Maybe we surrender to a struggle we are having and quit trying to “figure it out” or “fix it on our own” but instead pray and wait for God to lead us through it. Maybe we surrender one relationship we have and turn it over to God to lead us deeper into it instead of controlling it our self. Maybe if we can surrender one part of our life, we can learn to surrender more…and more…and more…and the all of it.

And remember, when we fail, the grace just keeps coming in the way of forgiveness and mercy and love. Maybe we just learn to surrender to that. God is so lovely with each of us and we are just so…stubborn. Surrendering to grace seems like the least we could do.

I pray surrender for you…

May your August be blessed with much grace and as much surrender as you can muster up. May it transform you bit by bit….softening your edges and bringing out the Christlikeness in you. May the way of grace, make your surrender gentler, and increase in you the yearning to be close to Jesus.

And if you are a woman who seeks companionship for the journey, try our Spiritual Wellness Community Membership for women…the first month is free so you have nothing to lose.

In August we are focusing on Surrender. We are reading a compelling book about a pastor who learns to surrender to God through his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease…The Way of Grace: Finding God on the Path of Surrender by Glandion Carney. The meme above is perfect for this book as Glandion learns to find joy in the life he is actually living by surrendering to God there. Our scripture focus will be Luke 9:23… “Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.’” Isn’t that what surrender looks like?

Our group would be blessed to have you join us….and I can say from personal experience that you will be blessed by them as well. We Zoom each Tuesday at 12pm ET….recordings are available if you can’t be there live…you can sign up on the website at angelstringsministry.com or respond to this email if you have questions.

Enjoy these last waning days of summer. Here is the blessing I will be using in our group this month:

“May the God of Holy Surrender bless you with the freedom to let go into the arms of God all that holds you back from the Oneness to which you are called. May you concede the need to control and allow God to be God in your life, listening always for the still small voice in the very center of your being. May the God of Surrender bless you.”

Shalom,

Julie Parsell

Retired Pastor-Spiritual Director-Therapeutic Harpist